About the only piece of evidence the prosecution didn’t have in the murder case against 20-year-old Patrick Fluker was an eyewitness testifying that he was seen shooting 29-year-old Tiffany Mendez in the head.An Allen County Superior Court jury heard the first day of testimony Tuesday in the trial of 29-year-old Sergio Sandoval, charged with neglect of a dependent in a January 2009 injury to his 20-month-old daughter.
According to court documents, the water pipes in the mobile home shared by Sandoval, his girlfriend and their two children had become frozen. To fill a bath for the girls, Sandoval filled a 5-gallon bucket from a different faucet with hot water and poured it into the tub.
Prosecutors allege the injuries indicate the girl was dipped into the tub, but defense attorney Nikos Nakos is arguing that the girl climbed into the tub before Sandoval could add the cold water.
Sandoval took the girl immediately to the emergency room. She was later admitted to the burn unit at St. Joseph Hospital. Sandoval gave multiple explanations as to how the child came into contact with the scalding water, according to court documents.
The trial is expected to continue today.
